Perhaps We'll Meet Again in Another Life
by LizzyLovesPink
Summary: Makoto spends his morning running errands for his division at the Future Foundation, such as getting breakfast. Along the way, he runs into some of the citizens in the city and spends time with them, soon realizing they are all familiar in their own way...painfully, hauntingly familiar...


**Author's Note: Wrote this as a warm-up one-shot, decided to upload and post it here for some reason. It's a whole lot shorter than I thought, but it was just a warm-up so I guess it doesn't really matter. Also I didn't intend for it to be as sad as it ended up being either.**

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Makoto slowly opened his eyes; the first thing he noticed was the shiny square clock by his nightstand that cheerfully blinked to him that he only had an hour left before work started.

Just his luck, he mused to himself as he hopped out of bed and took a rushed shower, brushing his teeth and getting dressed in a dark black suit. Despite how late he was, he still had errands to run; he had to get breakfast for his division as well as a C.D. It was a strange request, but despite his rank in the division he still had to do it. Once upon a time, he might've taken issue to being treated as nothing more than just an errand boy, but now, he didn't mind it at all. It allowed him to get out and see the city being reconstructed, as well as meet new people. After a final look around his surroundings, he left his apartment, locking the door and heading out.

Since the record store was closer to his apartment than the cafe, he figured he'd go there first and get the C.D. out of the way. The bell above the door chimed softly as he walked inside. Nobody else was there, as he expected, aside from a worker who came over to greet him with a large smile.

"Good morning, sir! How may I help you today?" She asked cheerfully. She had long bluish-black hair tied into a loose ponytail, and she was dressed in neon pink and black grungy clothes with a plastic nametag hanging from her neck. It proudly spelled out 'Satomi'.

"Oh, yeah, I just need to get an old C.D. for someone at my company." He smiled back at her, telling her the name. She nodded and led him over to the section, keeping an eye on him as he browsed.

One of his hands accidentally wandered, brushing up against the last copy of one of Sayaka Maizono's old albums. His heart suddenly clinched painfully, while Satomi looked at him curiously.

"Are you alright?" She asked nervously, blinking her large blue eyes. Makoto looked back at her, nodding.

"Y-Yeah! Sorry about that. I was just surprised to see she was still popular, even after all of this time," He lied, going back to his search.

"I know! But I can't blame them. Sayaka-chan is such a good singer, and her songs really resonate with me!" A pleasant scent came from the girl. "It's such a shame that she died in The Tragedy,"

"Yeah..." Makoto finally found the album he wanted, holding it up so Satomi could see. She nodded in approval, folding her hands in front of her.

"What a great choice!" She led him over to the cash register, taking the album from him and ringing him up.

"So, do you sing?" He asked curiously. Something seemed familiar about the girl, something he couldn't just shake off. It wasn't just her hair, it was also her overall appearance and the way she talked and held herself. It reminded him so much of... _her_.

"Yes, I do in fact! Only a little bit though. I'm not very good at it..." She handed him a small bag with the C.D. in it. "Have a good day!" She waved at him, and Makoto waved back, feeling numb. He left the music store and continued down the sidewalk, noticing not very many people were out. Though, he didn't blame them. Not much in the way of entertainment had been rebuilt, but surely people had work to go to?

He continued to walk along, keeping to the center of the grey sidewalk as it often became narrow. A few cars and buses were passing by on the streets, beeping noisily. The sunrise above was a blood-red, as almost all sunrises nowadays were. Makoto had a faint memory of sunrises being yellow, orange, and pink when he was younger. He became lost in thought and toppled over, tripping over a large black guitar case that was left open and laying in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Ouch!" He gasped in surprise, sitting up. He gingerly rubbed his knees, hoping he hadn't gotten a scrape.

"Yo man, are you okay?" A deep voice asked him. Before he could properly answer, he was picked up off the ground and found himself staring at a man with messy black hair. The man was muscular and seemed to tower over everything, including the two guys in the background who were staring at Makoto curiously.

Makoto laughed awkwardly. "Yup, I'm just fine! I just tripped!" He tightened his grip on the bag.

"Come on, how many times do I gotta tell ya? Don't just leave this laying out like that! People could fall and get hurt!" The man kicked the case over to a smaller man dressed in a blue sports jersey, who just rolled his eyes.

"Don't yell at me, I'm not the bass player," He retorted, leaning over a set of drums.

"You were the one who did it. Ayumu-kun would never do that,"

The smallest member of their band, a conservatively-dressed boy with blond hair, winced as the two argued, trying to tune his bass. The other two eventually stopped arguing and the tall man picked up his own instrument, a dark orange guitar.

"Are you three in a band?" Makoto asked politely. In the back of his mind, he remembered he had to get breakfast before he was late, but he shook the thought away. Something about the makeshift band was gluing him to that current spot, something...familiar.

"Hell yeah we are!" The guy in the jersey announced. "And we sound pretty good, if I do say so myself," He placed his foot on the drum pedal and started tapping it, keeping the beat. The bassist winced again, trying to match his notes to the beat.

"What an interesting outfit for a band member. Do you play any sports in your off-time? Like...baseball?"

The drummer shivered lightly at that word, swinging his drumsticks around.

"No way man. I've always hated baseball, ever since I was a kid. I'd keep having this nightmare over and over again about being pelted mercilessly by baseballs. Ain't that strange? But it doesn't matter. I'm a great drummer and _that's_ what matters,"

"Interesting nightmare..." Makoto shivered himself. "I think I've had one similar to it,"

"I haven't. No, motorcycles really scare me. I know, it's weird, big guy like me being scared of them. But it's true. They're just so loud and unpredictable," The muscular guy then pointed at the bassist. "And that kid is afraid of changing rooms. Everytime he sees one, he starts to hyperventilate and passes out. It makes traveling pretty awkward. You'd think he was murdered in one in a past life or something!"

The bassist briefly looked up from his instrument to give the muscular man a dirty look. He had on dark grey jeans and a frilly green jacket. He then smiled nicely at Makoto. "Want to hear us play a set? It won't make your ears bleed, I promise!"

"No...I appreciate the offer, but I really gotta get going. I'm late enough as it is," He held up his hands, pulling out some money from his wallet and tossing it into the open case. "Best of luck though,"

He then darted off, spotting the cafe in the distance. He crossed a few streets before he walked inside, smiling almost instantly from the warmness and the smells coming from inside. He walked over to the counter, the baker smiling at him.

"Good morning. Mr. Naegi! The usual?" They asked, already heading into the back. Makoto nodded and sat down at a table, knowing it would take a while for the food to be done. He picked a table near the counter, and there weren't very many customers in yet, but two girls suddenly sat in the chairs across from him, grinning.

"Morning!~ I never thought I'd find a guy as cute as you here!~ I thought they were all killed in The Tragedy!" One of the girls grinned; flashing him a peace-sign. The girls were clearly twins, as they both had dark red hair, light blue eyes, and sprinklings of freckles on their light skin. The louder girl wore her hair very short, while the other one wore her hair in large pigtails, quietly sipping at a pink smoothie.

"G-Good morning to you too..." Makoto smiled nervously. He felt a dangerous vibe from these girls, though he couldn't quite place what it was.

"I'm Mary! That's my annoying older sister, Marissa," The girl paused to drink some of her latte.

"Foreigners?"

"Yup!~ We're visiting here from America!~"

Makoto found that to be even stranger. The Tragedy wasn't just limited to Japan, no matter what the public believed; it had been on a global scale and every country had been at least equally affected. America had been no exception, and Makoto wondered why tourism from a damaged nation would offer tours to another damaged nation.

But it wasn't his area to judge. Rather, it was oddly hopeful in a way, as if the world had been healing at a much faster rate than originally expected.

"You work for the Future Foundation?" The quiet girl, Marissa, finally spoke up, motioning to the icon on Makoto's suit. He nodded.

"I sure do! That's why I'm in here today. I have to get breakfast for my division,"

"Huh," She said simply with a shrug, turning away.

Mary continued to chat away with Makoto, making him wonder if she just liked the sound of her own voice. Half the time she didn't even seem to be expecting a response, but Makoto found he was okay with that.

Eventually, his large order was complete, and he took it from the baker, who continued to smile at him.

"I hope it tastes good...Master Makoto,"

Makoto blinked. "H-Huh?!"

"I just said, I hope it tastes good! You are one of my most valued customers!" The baker repeated, adjusting their glasses. Makoto nodded slowly as he took the bag, feeling numb.

"Right...sorry. I guess I'm just really hungry!" He laughed, giving a wave to the twin sisters as well before he went back outside. He continued walking to the Future Foundation headquarters, exchanging a polite greeting to a very muscular boyfriend and girlfriend on the way; the girl had silverish-blonde hair in a plait down her back. He smiled as he walked past after their greeting. The two of them genuinely looked happy.

He finally reached the headquarters, pulling out his I.D. and scanning it at the door. The silver door beeped a few times before sliding open, sliding closed once Makoto stepped inside. He walked down the blue hallway, checking in once more at the secretary's desk. On her desk today was a magazine that featured a man with broad shoulders and dark brown eyes. He was saluting and looked to be a perfect, if stereotypical, Japanese male.

"Oh, one of the candidates for Prime Minister!" Makoto suddenly remembered out-loud. "I think he'd be good. He really has that...government sort of look to him, does he not?" He asked the secretary, who nodded.

"Yeah! I bet that's the reason he's currently leading in the polls!" She agreed, waving Makoto over to the elevator. He stepped inside after he waved to her and pressed the button for the fourteenth floor, standing near the wall.

After the elevator reached the fourteenth floor, it dinged softly and opened, allowing Makoto to step out onto his floor; painted in shades of silver. He tightened his grip on the bags and started to rush down the hallway, hoping he could avoid a scolding. He had to have been late at that point. Due to how fast he was going, however, he accidentally collided into someone else; they both fell down on the ground.

"Ouch!" The woman cried in surprise, landing on her back.

"I'm so sorry!" Makoto winced, offering his free hand to help her up. The woman didn't take it, instead focusing on gathering up her papers. When she rose, she gasped slightly at him.

"Forgive me for being so clumsy! It's only my second day here! I reckon I still do not know right from left!" She laughed in a heavy French accent. She had thick, curly, and long black hair that fell to the floor in waves and mesmerizing dark brown eyes. Her uniform was a dark purple suit-dress with lots of frills and lace added.

"No, no...I should've been watching where I was going. I was just so worried about being late, I guess..." He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. The woman laughed cutely. "Uh, do you speak French? Is it your...first language?"

" _Oui_! I am afraid I do not know a lot of Japanese yet. Is it really that obvious? Goodness gracious me!"

"So, you're French?"

" _Oui_ , once again! This is going to sound so ridiculous. My father is descended from a long line of French nobles. In fact, he named me...Marie Antoinette. He swore she is his great-great-great...well, you get the point. His lots-of-greats aunt!"

Makoto suddenly stopped laughing at that. He looked away from the woman uncomfortably.

"I have no idea why we moved to Japan, to be honest. I was originally born in my mother's native Germany, in a small town named Ludenberg. After a few years, we moved here..." Marie Antoinette continued to speak before she cut herself off with a laugh. "A lot of people believe I am lying when I tell them that story. It is very unbelievable, but it is my story, _non_?"

Makoto nodded numbly, finally glancing back at her. "Are you afraid of firetrucks?" He asked, making Marie Antoinette flinch slightly.

" _Pardon moi_ for the reaction, but yes, I am. Silly, right? My father believes what you are afraid of in your current life is how you died in a previous life," She explained, tightening her grip on her papers. "So in a past life, I must've died by firetruck,"

"So, you believe in reincarnation?" Makoto continued, feeling the breakfast in his bakery bag starting to get cold. He knew he would be in for one heck of a scolding afterwards, but he didn't care at that moment. He needed an answer for the numb and familiar feeling he had been having all morning.

She nodded. "A little bit. Father was always much more fascinated by it than I, but I understand why. It is very fascinating, to think you were someone else before your current self, and that all your quirks and hobbies are handed down between the lifetimes," She smiled nicely. "Maybe I truly was Marie Antoinette in a past life. Who knows?" Her watch then beeped, making her gasp. "Oh! Pardon moi, I am late! It was nice talking to you though, Makoto-kun!"

"I-I didn't tell you-!" He called after her as she raced off. "...My name..."

He walked to his own office silently, feeling numb again. He wordlessly set the bag on the table, being stared at by several different pairs of eyes.

"Whoa, what's wrong with you, man? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Yasuhiro blinked as Makoto sat down at the table. "Are you okay?"

"I did see a ghost. In fact..." He closed his eyes as he recalled all of the strange people he had seen that day. "I saw several."


End file.
